"David Cain?" I asked Bruce, who was standing next to me. "That's right," the Gotham billionaire nodded. "Your knowledge, as always, is astounding," he added casually.
David Cain is one of the most dangerous assassins in the world. His victims include the most famous and influential people on the planet. He works for Ra's al Ghul and is on his list of confidants. He is also known as Cassandra's father, and it is thanks to her 'kind-natured' dad that the girl still can't utter a word.
Lady Shiva, who was forced to give birth to the child of a man she so despised, she hates him with all her soul, but because of the Demon's Head's influence, she does not cross any boundaries. Yet, if she had a chance to get rid of him, she would not hesitate for a single second.
The opponent is extremely dangerous, and in his time could give Batman plenty of trouble. Every encounter with him cost the Dark Knight great effort to overcome such an experienced assassin.
But after taking the super-soldier serum, which elevated the Bat's physical abilities to a new level, this enemy stopped being much of a threat to Wayne. The recent battle, in which Batman threw the assassin far and painfully, is a vivid proof of that.
Ra's al Ghul finished examining the battlefield and directed all his attention toward us. He did not take any action, as though waiting for something—or rather, someone.
Talia al Ghul, Lady Shiva, and her daughter, whom I had imprisoned in the cave of the Lazarus Pit, had managed to break free and now joined the final battle.
Well then, there are five of them, and five of us as well, fair enough… Except, one Batman alone is worth ten fighters. Katana, Batgirl, and Bordeau are true masters; no matter who the opponent is, they won't falter. And it's too soon to write me off as well. I may be tired, but I still have the strength to continue the fight.
Therefore, the advantage is on our side... Apparently, Ra's al Ghul was thinking the same thing, which is why he was in no hurry to start the fight. The same cannot be said for his daughter, who is burning with anger, and in no time she will rush at us, swinging her katana.
"Ra's, you shouldn't start something you are not sure of," the Dark Knight broke the silence. "We will take Alex and leave…"
"Let him return everything he stole first." Talia said angrily.
"This is compensation for the emotional damage caused to me. I will not return anything," I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Then don't even dare think about leaving Nanda Parbat…"
"Talia, shut up," the Demon's Head sternly interrupted her. The daughter did not dare to go against her father's will and stepped back, giving the floor to the head of the League.
"Detective, you must understand... Alex took too much. And this puts me in an awkward position. I can't just leave this," Ghul began to negotiate, clearly not wanting to start the final battle. "Let him return everything, and you can leave."
"Ra's, you are in no condition to make demands now," Wayne emphasized decisively. "You and your men kidnapped my friend, subjected him to torture, wanting to break his will, and instill loyalty to the League in his head. This puts me in an uncomfortable position. We have peacefully coexisted all this time, and you want to upset the already precarious balance by starting a war between us?"
"War never ends, Detective. My warriors live in the shadows and fight every day, and therefore they do not fear death... The same cannot be said about you and your men."
"But can you start a new war when you have not yet won the old one? Your eternal enemy is Madame Gao and her army of assassins. Can you avoid a clash with the Hand? Or perhaps you intend to fight on two fronts at once?"
The Demon's Head didn't answer the question, silently agreeing with the Dark Knight's words. Well, the League of Shadows and the Hand... Two underground organizations of ancient assassins from the Marvel and DC universes are implacable enemies in this combined multiverse. Who would have thought.
Perhaps I should meet Matt Murdock, who tirelessly opposes the Hand. I'm sure the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and I have much in common.
"Ha, you've changed, my dear," Talia said, apparently deciding that her father's ban had been lifted. "You're no longer a gentleman."
"Just like you, miss, are not a lady," I answered instead of Bruce, not wanting to see a showdown between the former married couple here. Lost in thought, I realized that of everyone present, David Cain was the only one who hadn't greeted me. I need to fix that...
"Hey, sir," I turned to Cassandra's father. "Why are you being so aggressively silent with us?" To my surprise, this citizen ignored the significance of my question, not bothering to answer it.
As befits a killer, he didn't pause for words, but immediately sprang into action: he threw a steel shuriken, aiming for my left eye. After the changes, my reaction time became capable of keeping up even with the bullet's direction. It was only natural that I would catch the flying star that was about to take my eye.It wasn't particularly difficult.
Kane was already ready to silently rush into battle, when Ra's al Ghul ordered the assassin not to move.
"There will be no battle," declared the head of the League, without losing the majesty in his voice.
"Father..." His daughter clearly didn't expect such words from her father, just as the others didn't expect them either.
"Detective," Ra's turned to Bruce, ignoring the indignant looks of his subordinates. "You've changed... You've become stronger. And if I'm not mistaken, the reason lies in him," he looked at me as if he wanted to open my soul.
"I've felt his phenomenal physical strength in you, not inferior to Bane's at all. You're the same as him now," Ra's said, not taking his eyes off me, "and that changes a lot. There's no need for a fight, we're clearly at a disadvantage. You can leave, Alex," the Demon's Head addressed me personally. "You have gravely insulted us today. We will not let this go…"
"Let me tell you something," I interrupted my interlocutor mid-sentence. "This world only accepts the strong... When we meet for the second time, you will see a different person in me. You couldn't handle me today, and you won't be able to in the future. Therefore, my advice to you... Let's live in peace," I suggested, stretching into a sincere smile.
The silent bodies of the defeated League fighters still lay behind me... I threw an object similar to a shuriken at Cassandra, which the girl deftly caught with two fingers. She began to carefully examine the thing, vaguely resembling a combat shuriken, but spinning along a metal axis located in the center.
"A small gift in honor of our acquaintance," I smiled softly at the silent girl. "It's called a spinner. When you're sad or lonely, you can twirl it in your hand and remember me and today. It was fun, wasn't it? I think after everything that happened, we can be called friends. We'll meet again, and I'll definitely teach you to speak, I promise," I waved goodbye.
She silently put the toy back into her bosom and nodded, just slightly. The average eye wouldn't even be able to notice such a slight movement. David Kane frowned even more, and Sandra Wu-San clenched her fists at such blatant impudence and shouted furiously, "Alex Reath, stay away from my daughter."
"I would be very grateful if you didn't take my gift from your daughter. It would be impolite to me." Judging by their gloomy faces, they won't listen to me. The distance between us is less than ten meters. The spatial storage radius is 84 meters, equal to my Intelligence. Every item in my inventory can be retrieved within a range of 84 meters, no matter where that location is. It was effortless, unnoticed by anyone but Shiva's daughter, to pull such a small object out of storage and slip it straight into Cassandra's pocket. Now she can give the first toy to her furious parents and keep the second one for herself. I winked at the girl and walked toward the aerial vehicle known as the Batwing.which will take us safely home.
"Damien," Talia said the name of her son. "Look after him …"
"He is my son," Bats threw over his shoulder, approaching the Batwing. "It is my duty."
When we were all safely seated in Batman's personal jet, I raised my hand, addressing my friends from the League, 'Gentlemen, you will remember this day when Nanda Parbat was almost destroyed…"
The hatch of the Batwing closed, cutting me off mid-sentence. I turned to the pilot of this miracle of transport, expressing strong dissatisfaction with his unceremonious behavior.
"You did not let me leave gracefully!"
"You will make do. It is time for us to fly home."
I did not continue the pointless argument, but only threw my head back wearily. We took off. A wonderful view of the majestic snow-capped mountains opened up from the window. Different peoples have myths and legends that the snowy mountains are the abode of the Gods. There, at an unattainable height, above all earthly vanity, live those who determine the fate of humanity.
Many will say these are simply the foolish tales of the unenlightened. But one glance at this miracle of nature from a bird's eye view will make you want to cast aside all rationality and common sense. And once you do, it's easy to agree with the sayings of ancient and wise peoples.
I'm tired... It's been a truly eventful day: kidnapped, tortured, then an escape, a battle, another battle, the climax, and then, under the blazing rays of dawn, we fly home together... It was frankly painful to look at me now: torn clothes, caked blood, skin scorched in places... Fortunately, my regeneration will restore me in no time, without leaving the slightest scar on my body. Ha-ha-ha, but one way or another, my suffering was worth it...
[+3 to Combat Mastery]
[+4 to Fencing Mastery.]
These two stats are very difficult to improve. With diligent training under Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Bordeaux, I could only improve my combat mastery by one point per month. Getting as many as three points in one battle is like cutting three months off my training. Ah, whatever you say, real combat under threat of death is still the fastest way to improve your stats. You can't gain experience training within four walls, when nothing threatens your life. And besides, how can you acquire such wealth without going out into the world? Today I hit the jackpot, and perhaps we should celebrate.
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Thanks for reading guys.
Btw, I think I'm gonna die, me and my friends were going for Sandwiches when one of his elder cousin offered us to join him and his friends for a meal at a steakhouse and we ordered ribeye and filet mignon and I for some unknown reason decided that my appetite was big enough to consume 2 whole servings of ribeye and other side dishes. Now I can't even get up from my bed and I feel like I'm going to burst open 😭
Never eating like a pig again 😭